How To Set Goals You'll Actually Achieve

First find your why, then make plans.

· Personal Growth

With every new year come hopes and dreams for what the next 12 months will hold. We set goals (or resolutions or intentions or whatever else you want to call it) and we start the year full of vigor to achieve.

Then comes the first day back at work, and some of our resolve starts to slip away as we step into the familiar routine of our day-to-day life. Suddenly hitting the gym at 7 AM before going into the office doesn’t feel like such a great idea. And eating healthy just doesn’t feel as simple as you thought it would be.

It makes sense to set goals. And it makes sense to work your way towards them. But artificial deadlines (even January 1st) won’t change the world and habits around you overnight to make reaching them any easier. Not to mention that it simply isn't possible to change 5 behaviors all at the same time.

I recommend you try a different approach this year. Now that the excitement of a new year is starting to fade into the cold winter sun, (for those in the northern hemisphere,) and with it your discipline to follow through on your resolutions, think through what it is you really want to accomplish this year.

No, I don’t mean “I want to go to the gym 5x a week this year” – it’s not a goal and it’s not realistic either if going 5 times is an increase of 100% from two weeks ago. So take a moment to reflect on all of the changes you want for yourself this year. Now, narrow it down to 2-3 realistic goals for the year. And change the way you express them.

First focus on the WHY – why does this goal matter to you? What will it bring to your life?

You might not actually care if you hit the gym once or 10 times in a week, but since your real goal is to feel great in your skin, your goal might look less like "Go to the gym 5x/week" and more like "Create a sustainable fitness routine that lets me move 30 minutes every day, and cut back on foods that make me feel bloated or sluggish."

You wouldn't start training for a marathon by running the marathon - so why set your goals in that way?

Believe me, in the past I, too, used to set goals that would completely ignore the emotional implications behind them. The goals weren't tied to a WHY and therefore when I got tired or life got in the way, I couldn't remember why it was important to stick to them.

First, focus on why this matters to you and what will it bring to your life

Second, visualize what your life will feel like once you’ve reached this particular achievement

Third, decide how you can (realistically) achieve it.

​​Maybe this starts with 1x/week at the gym, maybe it doesn’t.

Are you looking to feel happier and more fulfilled in 2020, but don’t know where to begin? I’ve worked with clients from all around the globe to figure out exactly what it is they want to do with their lives and helped them make incremental steps to make it a reality.